Ala Moana Bowls Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for this stretch. For the next couple of weeks, Oahu’s South Shore is going to be a mixed bag. The opening days are small, but we’ve got a couple of windows that should get the heart pumping. The standout is a call for some clean, solid bombs on the 2nd of September at Ala Moana Bowls. Let’s break it down.

The forecast kicks off from Wednesday, 19th August. The water is sitting at 80°, which is about average for the time of year, with a tiny anomaly of just 0.4°. That’s pretty normal.

Wednesday the 19th is a write-off. We’ve got a tiny 1 ft swell from the SSW, with a 16-second period, but the wind is a cross-off at 16 mph and the combined energy is only 229—weak. It’s not worth a paddle.

Thursday the 20th is where it starts to feel alive. The swell ticks up to 2 ft, still from the SSW, but the period stretches to 18 seconds. That’s proper groundswell. The wind drops to a light breeze, and by the afternoon it goes glassy—NE at 3 mph. Combined energy is 331 (moderate). The waves will be clean, but still small. It’s a gentle start.

Friday the 21st sees a shift. The swell bumps to 2 ft from the SW, period hanging around 16-17 seconds. The afternoon is the pick: ENE wind at 3 mph, cross-off, and glassy conditions with combined energy up to 404 (moderate). The surf is clean, but still small.

Then we hit a rough patch. From Saturday the 22nd through to Monday the 31st of August, the winds get ugly. Strong to fresh breezes from the ENE at 19-28 mph are cross-off, but the swell direction swings to the ENE and the period drops to 6-8 seconds—short-period, wind-affected junk. For a few days there, the swell height climbs to 5 ft, then 8 ft, and by the 30th it’s 8 ft, but with that short period and strong wind, it’s messy. Combined energy hits 798 and 858 (strong), but the quality is poor. It’s a long stretch of average to poor conditions.

Now, the big one. September 1st is a Tuesday, and the swell is solid at 8 ft from the ENE, with a period of 8 seconds. The wind is still cross-off at 16 mph, and combined energy is a beastly 1222 (very strong). The score notes marginal surf or questionable tide, but the energy is there.

The standout is Wednesday morning, 2nd of September. At Ala Moana Bowls (Oahu), the swell is 8 ft from the ENE, period 8 seconds, and the wind goes glassy—E at 3 mph. The combined energy is 1064 (very strong). This is the kind of morning that makes you skip work. The wind is dead calm, the waves are pumping, and the reefs will be handling that energy well. The optimum swell direction for this spot is SSE, so this ENE swell is a bit off-angle, but with that size and glassy conditions, it’s going to be a proper session. Keep in mind, 8 ft is only for experienced surfers—it’s hefty. The period is short, so expect a bit of a lumpy take-off, but at a reef like Ala Moana, it’ll still be punchy. Crowds are often an issue here, so plan accordingly.

After that, Thursday the 3rd of September sees the swell drop to 7 ft, with the wind turning cross-onshore from the SSE and ESE. It’s not as clean.

So, the best on offer is that Wednesday morning, 2nd September, at Ala Moana Bowls. Glassy, heavy, and a proper session for the experienced crew. The rest of the window is mostly small or wind-affected, so pick your days carefully.

Rusty.

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